During the absence of Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah in his late campaign, his northern districts had been attacked and laid waste by Kowam-ool-Moolk Toork, an officer of the Bahmuny government, who, during the late convulsions, had rendered himself master of the forts of Elgundel, Mulungoor, and some other districts, and collecting a force of six thousand horse and about ten thousand infantry, invaded the countries of his neighbours.

On the return of Sooltan Koolly, he received accounts of Kowam-ool-Moolk's incursions. He accordingly addressed letters of advice to him, and demanded restitution of the property he had plundered in the Kootb Shahy territories. The ambassadors who waited on Kowam-ool-Moolk were directed to inform him, that their master was sorry to hear what had happened; and that it was his wish to be on terms of friendship with all his Mahomedan neighbours, since it is written in the Koran, that “all the faithful are “brethren.” Kowam-ool-Moolk, elated with his success in declaring his independence, and des­pising the power of Sooltan Koolly, shortly after­wards sent his troops again into his territories to plunder. Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah could no longer restrain his rage, and immediately ordered his army into the field, and marched towards El-gundel. He was met by Kowam-ool-Moolk at the distance of one day's march from that place at the head of his army. On the following day an action ensued, which lasted from dawn till noon, when the King charged in person, at the head of two thousand cavalry, and defeated Kowam-ool-Moolk, who fled in confusion, and threw him­self into the fort of Elgundel. To this place the King proceeded, and invested it; but Kowam-ool-Moolk, finding himself unable to contend with his enemy, fled to Berar, and solicited assist­ance from Alla-ood-Deen Imad Shah. Elgundel, shortly after, fell into the hands of the King, and many of the Mahomedan troops of Kowam-ool-Moolk entered his service. Having now occupied the forts of Elgundel and Mulungoor with his own soldiers, the King returned to his capital.

Kowam-ool-Moolk, who had fled to Berar, per­suaded Alla-ood-Deen Imad Shah to espouse his cause, and to march to recover his country. When Kootb Shah heard of this movement, he sent an ambassador to that monarch, relating the obstinacy of Kowam-ool-Moolk, and reminding him, also, that the Imad Shahy troops had lately usurped the country of the seven tuppas, * which the late Mahmood Shah Bahmuny had bestowed upon Sooltan Koolly; he therefore demanded the resti­tution of the seven tuppas, and required, also, that Imad Shah should not give protection to Kowam-ool-Moolk within his territories.

Alla-ood-Deen Imad Shah, however, so far from yielding to any of the above demands, sent back an answer full of indignation, which induced Sooltan Koolly to march with his army towards his domi­nions; and Imad Shah moved from Elichpoor, and opposed the Kootb Shahy troops near the fortress of Ramgeer. On the day following an action ensued, which lasted till the afternoon. The Imad Shahy army outflanked Sooltan Koolly's which was in the act of giving way on all sides, when he, as usual, charged through the centre of his own army with the reserve of two thousand cavalry in armour, broke the enemy's line, and completely defeated them. Alla-ood-Deen Imad Shah fled to Berar, and Sooltan Koolly directed his army to occupy the district of the seven tuppas; after which he returned to Golconda. Here he heard that See-taputty, the Raja of Cumamett, had presumed to lay hands on some of the Kootb Shahy districts which lay contiguous to his country. This raja possessed the strong forts of Cumamett, Belum-conda, Wurungole, and others, and had in his service twelve thousand infantry, noted as good marksmen. The King, in the first place, marched against Belumconda, which he closely invested. The siege lasted a considerable time, till at length the King determined to make an attempt to take it by escalade, which he effected by a general assault on all sides at once, in which effort, after losing many men, he at length succeeded.

When Seetaputty heard of the capture of Be-lumconda, which he considered as impregnable, he immediately marched with an army to oppose the King in the field, who also prepared to receive him. The two armies met, and a battle was fought, wherein the Mahomedans lost many brave officers and soldiers from the well-directed fire of the enemy's infantry, which withstood several charges of the Mahomedan cavalry; but they were at length broken, and fled, leaving Sooltan Koolly in posses­sion of all the Raja's treasures and heavy baggage: after which the King returned to Golconda.

Seetaputty, subsequently to his defeat, fled to Cu-mamett, and despatched messages to the neighbour­ing rajas, such as those of Condapilly, Indraconda, Warapully, and Etgeer, inviting them to form a confederacy against Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah, who had already reduced the greatest part of Tu-lingana, and was every day gaining such ground that in a short time no Hindoo chiefs would re­main to oppose his ambitious views. The rajas all united accordingly, and formed a rendezvous at Cumamett. When Sooltan Koolly heard of this league, he marched to oppose them; and a san­guinary action ensued in the neighbourhood of that place, when the Mahomedans, as usual, gained the victory; and the Raja Seetaputty fled, and took protection with Ramchundur Dew. The Mahomedan forces took possession of Condapilly, Indraconda, and Etgeer, while the King proceeded to reduce Cumamett, then one of the strongest forts in Tulingana; but as he was unwilling to spill human blood wantonly, he sent a message to the commandant of the place, informing him of the defeat of his master, and requiring him to sur­render the fort to the Mahomedans, which he re­fused to do. Several unsuccessful attacks were made in consequence, in which the Mahomedans lost many men; till at length the King resolved, as the last resource, to make a general assault on all sides at once. Sooltan Koolly led the principal attack in person: the Mahomedans, covering their heads with their shields, and being well supplied with scaling ladders, rushed on simultaneously, and, although their loss was severe, they succeeded in gaining the ramparts, and drove the garrison before them. On this occasion they gave no quarter, kill­ing every man, woman, and child in the place, ex­cepting the females of the family of Seetaputty, who were reserved for the King's seraglio.

When Seetaputty was defeated he fled, as before related, to Raja Ramchundur, the son of Guj-putty, who held his court at Condapilly, and who was king of the land and the sea-coast of Tulingana and Orissa, as far as the confines of Bengal. Seeta-putty had represented to him that Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah had, by his persecution, at length suc­ceeded in expelling him from his country; that he had now subdued almost the whole of Tulingana, and that his next step would be to invade the country of Ramchundur, which lay contiguous to his own. Guja Ramchundur, convinced of the truth of these observations, and relying on the numerous forces he could bring into the field, wrote orders to his adherents to repair with their respective armies to Condapilly, where he collected a host of three hundred thousand foot, and thirty thousand horse, all bearing lances, accompanied by Seetaputty, Vidiadry, and Hurry Chundur, as well as other rajas of note. These, having sworn to stand by each other, marched to attack Sooltan Koolly. He prepared to oppose them with only five thousand horse, and met them at the river near Palunchinoor.

The Hindoos drew up their forces on the next day in the following order:—

Guja Ramchundur, with ten thousand horse, one hundred thousand foot, and three hundred elephants, in the centre.

On the right his nephew Vidiadry, with ten thousand horse, one hundred thousand foot, and two hundred elephants.

On the left Hurry Chundur, with Seetaputty, in the command of ten thousand horse, one hundred thousand foot, and two hundred elephants: — the whole of the elephants bearing several men with bows and arrows.

Sooltan Koolly Kootb Shah, in spite of the dis­parity of numbers, determined to give the Hindoos battle. He placed his son, Heidur Khan, * with fifteen hundred horse, on the right, and Futtehy Khan, with an equal number, on the left, himself taking post in the centre with two thousand horse. According to custom he dismounted in front of the army, and going down on his knees, suppli­cated the great Disposer of events to give up the host of the infidels into the hands of the faithful; after which he mounted, and charged the enemy, driving the affrighted Hindoos before him like sheep. The Raja Ramchundur was taken pri­soner, and his nephew Vidiadry killed by the Prince Heidur Khan's own hand; the capture, also, of all the enemy's elephants and treasures, as well as of Raja Ramchundur, ensured to the King the whole of the country as far as the sea-coast. From thence he proceeded to Condapilly, which he re­duced; and afterwards went to Ellore and Raj-mundry, in the former of which places many Hin-doos were slain. Upon the arrival of the Ma-homedan forces at Rajmundry, they encamped on the banks of the Godavery, where the King re­ceived intimation that the enemy had assembled in great numbers in the woods and hills, with the intention of attacking him by night. The King accordingly detached his generals, Futtehy Khan and Roostoom Khan, to watch their motions, and to endeavour to cut them off. The two parties engaged, and the Hindoos, after they had lost two thousand men, fled to the forests, leaving the Mahomedans in possession of the field of action.